P.T.V

Yesterday (Friday) i was back in Swanholme Lakes nature Reserve helping with the Rhoddie/Brash clearance.
I was in Fantastic company too, a bunch of folk from the "Princes Trust" came & gave us a hand & Al (Ranger)mucked in to,
The weather was on our side & we managed to shift quite alot of the Rhoddies & brash, the Volunteers worked extremely hard & it was a pleasure having them as company, they all seemed to be enjoying the job & got along well with each other,
I am looking forward to next time already, even the Pater Pan quips (LOL)

BIG THANKS for all your help & hard work folks see you all again soon i hope.

Fungi Foray

Today as i walked the dogs round Swanholme Lakes Nature Reserve i caught up with the folk on the Fungi Foray. What lovely weather they got to walk round in, glorious sunshine & temp of 19-20 degrees.

Here is New Ranger Lisa, Ken (MYCOLOGIST) & Ruth.



The folk were cheerful & seemed to be really enjoying the walk & finding out all about the different Fungi that's popped up. As i walked round i came across quite a few species,






I will add this though, it is quite rare now to be able to have a Fungi Foray & actually come across some, as the plastic bag brigade are usually raping the place of the Fungi & the ones they can't eat they destroy !! Another sort of SPACKTARD !! In my opinion the people who are raping our Nature Reserve will carry on doing so until the Authorties start doing something about them. Make an exhibition of some & drag the culprits through court, as what they are doing holds a £20,000 fine !!

If you do have permission to forage for Fungi get the right equipment, a wicker basket like in the header photograph so that the Fungi Spores can still DISSEMINATE.
WARNING FUNGI CAN KILL !!! If you don't know what your doing go to a supermarket for your mushrooms.

FIRE

As you stroll around Swanholme Lakes Nature Reserve you will undoubtedly come across some "FIRESCARS" with FIREDOGS lurking. Now some of these firescars are managed ,as in Brash/Rhododendron burning & the Firedogs either taken away or used next time the fire is lit, others are left by the SPACKTARDS usually with glass bottles, Ale cans & various plastic wrappers & broken saplings & branches surrounding the Firescar !! I like to pride myself on the fact that if i have a fire for cooking & warmth i leave NO TRACE & make sure the surrounding area is not an eyesore & is in keeping the rest of the area.
Always try to leave the area cleaner than you found it !!

I have the same feelings about FIRES as i do KNIVES,they are both just TOOLS to do various jobs.BUT in the hands of SPACKTARDS both become weapons !!. Used correctly they are the wilderness living persons most precious & valuable tools.



A plant to look out for on old fire sites is the "Fireweed", otherwise known as the "ROSE BAY WILLOW HERB" Epilobium angustifolium (Linn.).
This plant is very common here in England, i gather it originally came from North America.
Rosebay Willowherb is the main food-plant of the Elephant Hawk-moth caterpillar.

Parts of the plant can be eaten (please do allergy test before attempting)

The young shoots were often collected in the spring by Native American people and mixed with other greens. They are best when young and tender; as the plant matures the leaves become tough and somewhat bitter. The southeast Native Americans use the stems in the stage. They are peeled and eaten raw. When properly prepared soon after picking they are a good source of vitamin C and pro-vitamin A.

The root can be roasted after scraping off the outside, but often tastes bitter. To mitigate this, the root is collected before the plant flowers and the brown thread in the middle removed.

The leaves make a tobacco substitute.

The leaves of the Rose Bay Willow herb have been used as a substitute and adulterant of Tea. Though no longer so employed in England, the leaves of both this species and of the Great Hairy Willow-herb (E. hirsutum, Linn.) are largely used in Russia, under the name of Kaporie Tea.

Green (Universal Herbal, 1832) reports:
'The young shoots are said to be eatable, although an infusion of the plant produces a stupifying effect.

'The pith when dried is boiled, and becoming sweet, is by a proper process made into ale, and this into vinegar, by the Kamtschatdales; it is also added to the Cow Parsnip, to enrich the spirit that is prepared from that plant.

'As fodder, goats are said to be extremely fond of it and cows and sheep eat it too.

'The down of the seeds, mixed with cotton or fur, has been manufactured into stockings, etc.'
The young shoots are boiled and eaten like asparagus.
The ale made from the plant in Kamchatka is rendered still more intoxicating with a toadstool, the Fly Agaric, Agaricus muscarius.

The roots and leaves have demulcent, tonic and astringent properties and are used in domestic medicine in decoction, infusion and cataplasm, as astringents.

Used much in America as an intestinal astringent.

The plant contains mucilage and tannin.

The dose of the herb is 30 to 60 grains. It has been recommended for its antispasmodic properties in the treatment of whoopingcough, hiccough and asthma.

In ointment, it has been used locally as a remedy for infantile cutaneous affections.

PLEASE BE AWARE -: we do NOT recommend you try eating anything without YOU doing proper RESEARCH.






I got into the reserve this weekend & took a couple of mates along, my dog Indi & Steve.

On Friday i cracked on & set up the camp for the weekend, the communial/social chute & my tarp/bed area. Steve arrived late so had to set his up in the dark !



He chose to tree hang this weekend & try out his new Hammock


Woke up to Rain all day Saturday, but we made a start & got tidying & lopping. It took us over an hour to get the fire going to burn the brash & Rhododendron, it was hard going but eventually we got there.




Relax Time

Conservation & Rejuvination

Well this weekend i'll be back in my favourite part of Swanholme Lakes Nature Reserve doing some voluntary work, we are clearing out ALL the Rhododendron & some of the Birch & willow & Pine/Fir trees.
The Rhododendron & left over Brash will be burnt but the tree stumps will go into making log piles for habitats for various wildlife.
I have a feeling this is going to be a very long process going on the amount of Rhododendron in the area (not that i'm complaining of course ! ) & the SPACKTARDS that will no doubt try & set fire to the habitats we build ! ( now i am complaining ! )

For those that don't know Rhododendron is extremely invasive,it undermines the roots of other plants & also blocks out any light.It can spread disease to other plants. The species we have here is safe to burn, but if you handle it too much it can cause ECZEMA & with it having white sap i've been advised not to use it for TRANSPIRATION ( water collection with polythene bags placed over leaves/branches which causes evaporation).









As i move the Birch & Willow i will collect either TINDER (Birch, the fluffy outer skin) for fire lighting or Willow bark for CORDAGE for lashings.

PLEASE REMEMBER -: Fungus Foray 28th October 2009, meet at Ranger station 10.30am £2.00pp NO DOGS only guide dogs on walk.

Brief history

Here is a very brief history of Swanholme Lakes Nature Reserve,


1860s -:

The area was a plantation woodland belonging to the Hartsholme Hall Estate.

1930s -:

Quarrying for sand & gravel starts, the materials was used for aerodrome construction.

1960s -:

Quarrying stops Public access is forbidden !! place is left desolate.

1970s -:
it is stocked with Trout & ran as a fishery, wildlife finds a home.

1985 -:

gets SSSI status.
1991 -:

Swanholme Lakes Local Nature Reserve is declared & opened to the public.

Birch polypore


Fly Agaric



Dunno ?? someone passing the time,this was found where i cleaned up a fire scar.





& a reminder of the SPACKTARDS -:





All the hardwork gone up in smoke to fuel someone who instead of being born should of been a wank !!


this was a brash fence which would of created a habitat for various wildlife





Part of my Favourite place

Introduction to S.L.A.G

Hello all & welcome to my blog about Swanholme Lakes Nature Reserve. This blog is all about the comings & goings in Swanholme Lakes Nature reserve. Although i try my best to be accurate with stuff, i'm bound to make some mistakes along the way & would appreciate any help in identifying species of insects,fungi,plants,animals & birds.

The Swanholme Lakes Nature Reserve is my patch, as in, this is where i come to get away from it all. I spend a lot of time in there! It is a thriving habitat for various wildlife which i hope to capture on my camera & post onto this blog.
Swanholme Lakes Nature Reserve was designated a "site of special scientific interest" (SSSI) in 1985.
It was a 63 hectare gravel quarry which now is home to dry Heath, Wet Heath, sphagnum Bog & open water.
Important species for Swanholme Lakes Nature reserve are pond weeds "potamogenton spp" & "Stratiotes aloides" (water soldier). You will also find 16 breeding species of dragonflies & damselflies,of which 3 species are rare to Lincolnshire, variable dameslfly (Coenagrion pulchellum) red-eyed damselfly (Erythromma najas)and ruddy darter ( Sympetrum sanguineum).




Swanholme Lakes Nature Reserve is near to Hartsholme Country park & is looked after mainly by the Rangers & a very small band of volunteers.Their work in the Reserve is often over-looked by the public because the Braincell-less moronic vandal Spawn SPACKTARDS abuse the area either by Arson,Criminal damage & thoughtless disposal of rubbish.So their work load is well overloaded, & i feel before long we will loose Swanholme Lakes Nature Reserve because it is way too expensive to upkeep.

These are my 3 pet hates

Firescars
BEFORE-:



AFTER -:



Also DOG WALKERS who pick up the poo in plastic bags then leave it hanging in trees or just discard it willy nilly & not use the bins provided !!




& Lastly Litter Louts -:





So here is a call to any wannabe volunteer HELP !!

I'm sure i'll be moaning & complaining about the SPACKTARDS again but for now here's some pictures of the life & what goes on inside Swanholme Lakes Nature Reserve.


Grey Squirrel


Some Muntjac Scat,


& some Muntjac Tracks -:


Kids enjoying Autumn -:



Grass snakes -:



There is a Fungi Foray with specialist Ken Rowland on OCTOBER 28th 2009 meet visitor centre at 10.30am
price is £2.00 pp NO DOGS ON WALKS ! tel-: 01522 873577